


Motive of the Accomplice

by SkylaDoragono



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Bondage, Emotional Manipulation, Improvised Sex Toys, M/M, Manipulation, Mind Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2013-09-16
Packaged: 2017-12-26 20:16:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/969857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylaDoragono/pseuds/SkylaDoragono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thought of being left alone again is too painful for Yu to handle; but add to that the realization that one of his Social Links is a monster, and a plan comes to light to make sure he's never left alone again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. December

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to DancingPurge on Tumblr for being so enthusiastic about this horrible idea and motivating me to finish.

With his uncle and cousin in the hospital, the house was left painfully quiet, almost to the point where it was too much for Yu to deal with.  He sat on the couch that night, trying to focus on the television as he ate dinner, but he could barely hear it, nor was he able to eat that much.  All he could focus on was the quiet that not even the television could drown out; the deafening _silence._   Before coming to Inaba, he would not have cared; he had been used to the life of a loner, of a person that never had a chance to really put down roots and grow.

Now?  Now he could not stand the thought of going back to that life, and this _silence_ was only a precursor as to what was to come.  After all, March was coming up quickly, and soon he would be going back to the city, back to his life with his parents, to moving around when his parents needed to for work, to never again have the chance to have a group of friends with him…

He was so lost in his own head that he did not realize someone was at the door until they banged on it, making it sound like they were going to try to break it down next.  Yu set his dinner on the broken kotatsu, before hurrying over to the door before that could happen.  He did not know who to expect on the other side of the door, but the person that was standing there, looking uncertain and sheepish and worried was not at all what he would have expected.

"Adachi-san?" he asked softly, surprised.

"Ah… y-yo," he murmured, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck.

For a moment, Yu did not know what to say, and there was an awkward pause as he tried to come up with a response that was not a rude one.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked.  "Aren't you busy with the case?"

"Well… yeah…" the detective murmured, his eyes looking upward sheepishly.  "But… well, I saw you leaving the hospital after I chased you out of Namatame's room the other day, and…"

Yu let out an awkward noise at that, and it was his turn to look away sheepishly.  When everyone had left, when he _thought_ he was alone…  It had been an emotional evening, even for him, and he still found himself wondering if he had done the right thing keeping the others from throwing Namatame to his death in the TV.  He had broken down crying in the middle of the street, and it had taken him a few minutes to pull himself together enough to go home.

"Um… c-can I come in?" Adachi asked.  "It's kinda cold out here."

Yu hesitated a moment, before stepping aside for Adachi to enter.  The detective paused at the entrance to shuck off his shoes, as Yu went back to his meal in front of the television, though it was mostly to hold it on his lap.  He still was not that hungry, and he was half tempted to just dump it when he felt Adachi flop down on the couch next to him.

"Hey, aren't you hungry?" he asked, peering at his food.

"Not really," he murmured, offering it to him.  Adachi hesitated a moment, but Yu knew the detective had a poor diet, and it did not take long for him to grab it and start wolfing some of it down.  He was about half way through it, before he took some up and offered it out to Yu.  He stared at him, unable to comprehend why he was offering him some when he already said he was not hungry.

"C'mon, open up~" Adachi said in a sing-song voice, only to get Yu to stare at him blankly.  He let out a nervous laugh, but that did not keep him from bopping Yu in the lips with the morsel, to the point where he had no choice but to accept it.

Adachi grinned, watching him take it into his mouth and munch on it, taking another helping for himself before offering another morsel to Yu.  It continued this way until the plate was clean, and Adachi set it on the kotatsu table again, kicking back, though Yu was still confused as to why he did that.  He caught the look on his face, letting out a sheepish laugh.

"C'mon, don't look at me like that," he said, letting his hand fall down to rub at Yu's back.  "I'm just trying to cheer you up.  Is it working?"

Yu blinked, still unable to process that for a moment, before he let out a faint sound, finally allowing a smile to come to his face.

"Yeah… thanks," he replied softly.

He settled back on the couch, and Adachi shifted his hand back up, though he did not let go of Yu, letting his arm casually drape over his shoulder, half propped on the couch.  Yu thought to object, not used to anyone, let alone the detective, being that forward with him… but something kept him from doing so.  Maybe it was because he had been alone in the house for so long, but even this kind of attention was welcome.  He was a bit stiff sitting like that next to Adachi at first, but as the night wore on and the television shows changed, he found himself leaning back, to the point that Adachi's arm was completely draped over his shoulders.

They stayed like that in silence, with only the television speaking between them.  Eventually, Yu found himself drifting off, but he could not bring himself to get up.  He felt… safe?  It was a weird thing to feel, considering he did not know Adachi as well as his friends, but this was also the man that his uncle trusted with his life, and also the one that had come over to have dinner, and to make jokes and do magic tricks.  He was not a bad guy… maybe that's why he did not mind so much when his eyes drifted closed and his head came to rest on the detective's shoulder.

"Ah…?" Adachi murmured, nudging him gently.  "Hey, if you're tired, you should go to bed."

Yu let out a faint sound, his eyes coming back open.  He paused a moment, just long enough to turn a bit pink in embarrassment, before he pushed himself up, muttering an apology.  Adachi gave him a sympathetic look, getting up first and offering him a hand up as well.  Yu accepted it, only to find the detective wrapping an arm around him again as he guided him to and up the stairs.  He really had not realized how tired he was until he was moving, finding himself stumbling and he drifted back toward sleep while walking.

It was a surprise for him to feel his back resting on his futon, and he came awake just enough to see Adachi hovering over him, a concerned look on his face.  He was already starting to pull away, and before Yu knew what he was doing, he was reaching out for his hand, grabbing it before he could pull away.  Adachi let out a confused noise, stopping cold, and Yu felt his face getting hot again, letting him go quickly.

"Sorry, I just…" he muttered.  "I didn't want to be alone again tonight."

Adachi let out another confused noise, looking like he was not sure how to respond to _that,_ and embarrassment crossed Yu's face yet again, realizing how _wrong_ what he said was.  Before he could explain himself, however, the detective let out a faint laugh, planting a hand on his head and mussing his grey hair.

"I understand, kid," he replied.  "I'll crash on the couch downstairs."

Yu muttered a faint thank you, enduring another humiliating head ruffle, before leaning up slightly to watch the detective leave his room.

~.oOOo.~

When he woke up the next morning, Adachi was still curled up on the couch, his rear end pointed up in the air with his head planted against a seat cushion.  He was still snoring away, and Yu had to stop at the base of the stairs, staring at the sight, before he smothered a laugh with a hand.  The thought to go back upstairs and get a blanket for the detective had crossed his mind, but it was the thought that Adachi had work that day that had him moving over to him, shaking his shoulder.

"Adachi-san?" he asked softly as the detective stirred, murmuring faintly under his breath.  In a reversal of last night, the detective unconsciously grabbed his hand, snuggling against it and drawing a hideous flush out of Yu.  "A-Adachi-san!"

The detective let out a curious noise, finally opening his eyes.  He stared at Yu blankly for a moment, before letting out a yelp as he let go of his hand.  Adachi sat up, babbling mindlessly and laughing sheepishly, trying to come up with a good excuse.  Yu just stared at him, mulling over what happened last night in light of what just happened.

"Are you… trying to flirt with me?" he interrupted Adachi's rambling.  The detective turned an interesting shade of pale, mouth working with no sound coming out.  Finally, he deflated, looking up at Yu like a child that had just gotten caught stealing cookies.

"Ah… s-sorry…" he murmured.  "This was dumb… I shouldn't've come…"

Yu blinked at that, raising an eyebrow.  He did not think Adachi went for that sort of thing; after all, he had mentioned having a girlfriend once or twice before.  Curious in spite of himself, he sat down beside the detective, silently encouraging him to explain.  He hesitated a moment, looking at him sheepishly again, before he just came out with it.

"W-well… you're kind of amazing, you know that?" he began.  "You've been going on, saving all these people behind everyone's backs, and dealing with… just whatever it is in that other world.  And on top of it you've been managing school and working, and taking care of Nanako and the house, and…"

Adachi let out a faint noise, deflating a little bit, before he let out a soft laugh.  "…I gotta admire that, you know?  I could never come anywhere close to that kind of responsibility.  I wanted to tell 'ya that for awhile, but… well, I never got a chance.  And seeing you break down the other night… it really hit me, you know what I mean?"

"Kind of," Yu replied, his voice soft.  After his uncle refusing to believe what they needed to do to save people, he did not think any of the adults in his life would give him that kind of praise.  But still, he didn't know what to say in light of that small confession, and an awkward silence settled between the two of them.  He was about to change the subject, to ask if Adachi needed to go to work that day, when he felt the detective rest a hand on his arm.

Yu looked up at that, seeing that the detective had scooted closer to him in the silence.  His face was only a few inches away from his, and Yu could feel his heart flip in his chest, a feeling that left him confused.  He should be telling Adachi no, that this was _highly_ inappropriate – he was ten years older than him, not to mention in a position where he had no business doing things like this – but the words did not even make their way into his throat.  When he did not say anything, he took that as an invitation to scoot closer, his lips brushing against Yu's.

It felt like the world slowed down around him, like time decided to take a break.  He could not hear anything, not the creak of the couch as Adachi moved and not the loud pounding of his heart.  His lips where they touched felt like they were on fire, and he did not have the chance to think before the detective pressed against him.  Everything really stopped then, except for Adachi's lips moving against his, inviting him to return his affections.

Yu really did not know what happened next, just that when Yosuke's ringtone went off on his cell phone, his hand had come up to cling to Adachi's coat, pulling himself closer to the detective as he had been returning the kiss with more than a little enthusiasm.  He was out of breath when he pulled away from him, and stared at the detective for a long moment as the ringtone continued to play, and a part of his mind was loudly telling him to ignore it, that Yosuke could leave a message.

"I… sorry…" he managed to get out, standing up and finally answering the phone.

 _"Hey man, you okay?"_ Yosuke's voice came from the other end, when he sounded more than a little breathless answering.

"Yeah, fine…" Yu murmured, not feeling very fine.  His heart had yet to stop pounding in his chest, but he was totally fine.  Totally.  "What's up?"

 _"We're going to meet up at Junes and go over what we know about the case again before hitting the town,"_ Yosuke answered.  _"You game?"_

"Yeah… I'll join you in a bit."

_"See you, partner!"_

Yu hung up, hesitating a moment, before turning back to Adachi.  He was sitting on the couch still, looking a bit sheepish at everything that had happened.  There was that awkward silence between the two of them again, and Yu shifted uneasily, trying to find something to say.

"I… I've got to go," he said softly, flinching at how reluctant he sounded.

"Ah… yeah, me too," Adachi muttered.  He fumbled a moment, looking like he wanted to apologize; Yu shook his head, though, not letting him do that.

"…if you want to come by again tonight, I'd appreciate the company," he said before the detective could say anything more.  Adachi stared a moment, surprised… and a smile finally came to his face, giving him a small nod.  Yu returned it, going toward the door, but he paused at the entry, glancing back to ask him to lock up when he left.  The detective assured him he would, and Yu left the house.

He had to pause outside the door, closing it behind him and leaning against it heavily.  Hesitantly, he raised a shaking hand, pressing his fingers to his lips as a small tremble went through him, that warm and safe feeling from last night settling over him once again.

~.oOOo.~

Yu was exhausted, having spent the majority of the day walking around Inaba talking to everyone that could have possibly known anything about the murders earlier in the year.  It had been a hopeless endeavor; hardly anyone knew anything they did not already know, and most everything pointed to Namatame being responsible, even though they already knew that was not actually the case.  It had been necessary, but he had been more than a little distracted throughout the day, and the fact that he knew what could be waiting for him when he got home had _maybe_ made him more than a little anxious to be done for the day.

Then, there was that moment; that moment where he was standing outside in the snow between his best friend and the detective prince, going over the clues, that his anxiousness left a gaping hole in his stomach.  The murderer had to be one person that would not stand out, that could move around Inaba and hide vital clues with ease, that would be able to approach his house without drawing suspicion, and that had some kind of tie to both murdered women.  There was only one person that could fit that description…

Yu could feel his lips burn at the realization, his heart bottoming into his shoes and leaving an aching pain where it was supposed to be.  Yet even with that, he could not bring himself to say anything, instead remaining silent as Yosuke let out a defeated sigh.

"Well, we'll figure something out," he finally said.  "We've made it this far, right?  We've gotta go all the way."

They turned to go back into the Chinese diner, and Yosuke paused, turning back to Yu to ask if he was all right.  Yu assured him that he was, that nothing was wrong, and somehow he managed to stay calm as he said it.  He did not like lying; he was bad at it, and he knew he was bad at it too.  Still, Yosuke did not suspect anything.

"I'm going to head home," Yu said softly.  "I'll see you guys later."

"Hey, take it easy, man," Yosuke replied.  "Give us a call if you need some company."

Yu gave a nod, not willing to tell him that he already had company planned, though now he was not looking forward to it like he had been.  Now a chill ran down his spine as he walked the familiar path home, shaking as he went over the facts in his head again and again, trying to find some hole, some flaw in his reasoning.  The more he thought about it, however, the more it made _sense_ that he was the murderer, that it just _could not_ be anyone else.

He collapsed onto the couch when he got back to the house, barely having the mind to kick off his shoes as he entered.  It was a moment before he glanced to the side, where Adachi had been sitting beside him that morning, reaching out to him, touching him…  Yu's mind had gone blank when they kissed, but now hours later, he could remember the soft touch on his arm, the detective wrapping an arm around him, pulling him close.  His fingers found their way to his lips again, feeling detached, remembering how warm and safe and inviting that brief moment had felt.

And it was all a lie.

Somehow, Yu forced himself off the couch, running on autopilot as he went about fixing dinner.  When he finished, he stared at the pan blankly, realizing he had cooked way too much for one person, and he could not fathom why he would do that.  That is, until the door bell rang, and the hours before came flooding back to him.  His head snapped up, staring at the entrance to the house like it was going to reach out and bite him.

It took a supreme amount of effort for him to pull away from the stove to open the door, and Adachi's sheepish, smiling face was there to greet him.  Really, it looked more like the detective had been ready to bolt, and he shifted uneasily as Yu stared at him, his expression a neutral mask, an effort to keep himself from panicking at the sight of him.

"Uh… hey, Yu-kun?" the detective asked.  "You all right?"

Yu seemed to come out of it then, forcing himself to move.  "Yeah… sorry, it was a long day," he replied, forcing himself to step aside and allow him inside.  "I just finished cooking.  There's enough for you."

Adachi was more than happy to make his way in at the mention of food, and with plates piled high with Yu's cooking, the two of them settled on the couch once again.  Yu was completely stiff sitting next to the detective, and it did not take long for him to notice.  Adachi put his food down on the table, sitting so that Yu had no choice but to look at him.

"Kissing you this morning bothered you, hunh?" he asked, adopting Yu's level of bluntness.  The teen hesitated a moment; he wanted to say that it did bother him, hoping that it would discourage Adachi and get him out of the house.  Yet, at the same time… he could not bring himself to tell that lie, and he found himself shaking his head, prompting Adachi to rest a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked, his voice so gentle that he would have never thought Adachi was anything but genuine.  Yu hesitated to answer, and Adachi pressed gently, "Is it about leaving in March?  It's getting kinda close…"

Again, Yu was reluctant to answer, staring down at his food.  Adachi seemed to take that as a yes, because he pulled himself closer, wrapping an arm around him.  Yu fought against the urge to stiffen up at the intimate gesture, even as the detective rubbed his side gently.

"Is this… about what you said last night?" Adachi asked softly.  "About not wanting to be alone?"

Yu let out a faint sound, his fingers curling around the plate on his lap.  He had to bring that up… the fact that in a few months time he would be all alone again, that his bonds would vanish, and he would be stuck with nothing to look forward to in the morning as he went to school, and nothing to look forward to during the rest of the day.  The thought of being left with nothing all over again… it was clear that it was an obvious trigger for him, because Adachi had to pry his hands off of his plate before he could set it down and out of the way.

"C'mon, kid, you should know better than that," Adachi continued, his voice deceptively gentle as he kept one hand in a tight grasp.  "You've got some amazing friends here.  They've been supporting you this whole time, right?  You've got a pretty big hold on them; I don't think they'd be going away just because you left."

Yu froze, Adachi's words ringing in his ears.  _You've got a pretty big hold on them._ His friends were not the only ones that he had a hold on, and he found himself slowly looking over to the detective, an unhealthy dark thought entering his head.  He knew… he was the only one that knew Adachi was the murderer; he could have the threat of making use of that knowledge dangling above him.  That would be the assurance he needed, that at least one of his social links would remain with him no matter where he went.

He would never be alone again.

"You're right," he said softly, but his thoughts were far away, trying turn down the idea, dismiss it as ridiculous and something he should have never considered in the first place.  But it lingered in his head like a parasite, reminding him that there was no way the detective would be able to leave him alone if he had that weight hanging over his head.  Yu swallowed painfully, feeling his throat dry up, and Adachi seemed to mistake it for something else, because he shuffled a little closer to him, a worried look on his face.

"You sure you're all right, kid?" he asked softly.  "Not used to seeing you this upset…"

Yu took a breath, trying to steady himself, and when he finally could meet Adachi's gaze again his face was carefully neutral as always.  Hesitantly he reached up, fingers shaking (the only indication that inside he really was not all that neutral) as they brushed against the detective's jacket, finally seizing it a moment later.

"…can you stay again tonight?" he asked, afraid to speak louder than a whisper.

Adachi hesitated a moment, looking like he was mulling something over, before finally coming out and asking, "How close you want me to stay?"

Yu's heart was hammering in his chest, to the point where it just sounded like a steady buzzing in his ears.  He could not have asked for a better opening, and he quickly found himself pulling closer to Adachi, pressing his lips against his hard, as if the harder he did it, the easier it would be for him to accept that this was his only course of action.  The detective seemed to be prepared for it, his arms wrapping around him as he kissing him back with a ferocity that caught him off guard.  He could feel his hand snaking up his back, the detective's fingers threading through his hair and grasping it hard enough to pull a gasp from him.

Adachi pulled away quickly at that, his face bright red as he forced his grip to loosen.  "S-sorry, too much?"

"Just surprised me," Yu managed to get out.  Adachi stared at him, perplexed, an expression that only got more genuine as the teen tried to shuffle himself closer, finally settling for straddling him to get as close as he wanted.  He let out a faint sound of surprise at how desperate he seemed to be, something that Yu quieted with another insistent kiss that Adachi had to pull himself away from again.

"W-woah, kid, hold on," he gasped out, looking a bit frazzled.  The red had not dropped from his face, and it was hard to tell if he was just embarrassed by what was going on, or just that turned on by it.  "You're not exactly in a good state of mind right now, y'know?  You should think about th—"

"Adachi-san," Yu cut him off, quiet for a moment… before his normally neutral look melted from his face, showing the fear, the desperation he was feeling.  "I don't want to think right now."

He did not want to have the opportunity to second guess himself.  If he did that, that meant that he would probably re-evaluate and do the "right" thing, go back and tell his friends that it was Adachi, and then come March he would have _nothing._ He could not let himself do that, because he was pretty sure that was what would happen if he backed off now.  Yu let his arms fall around the detective as he settled down on his lap, feeling how turned on he was through his clothes, even if the sharp gasp was not enough of a clue.

"I don't care what happens," he murmured softly, "just please don't let me think about it."

Adachi groaned softly, and he was pretty sure the shudder that went through the detective was genuine.  "Shit, kid…" he muttered, but his arm around Yu tightened, as did the hand in his hair.  He did not protest that time, not that he had the chance to, as the detective hips came up, forcing the two of them to grind together.  A shuddered gasp escaped from him, and if it were not for the arm holding him tight, he might well have fallen over.

"Like that?" Adachi muttered, pulling Yu's head back and to the side, before sinking his teeth into the soft flesh where his neck and shoulder met.  Yu answered with a noise he did not realize he was capable of before all this, his grip on the detective's jacket tightening until his knuckles were white.  He could hear Adachi sucking at his neck, feel the tease of his teeth on him, and a dim part of his mind acknowledged that there would be a bruise there later on, but he could not bring himself to give a damn.

It was a moment before Adachi pulled away, chuckling as he loosened his grip on Yu, only to have him near slump over.  He held him against him, keeping that tight grip on his hair and maneuvering his head like he was a doll, forcing Yu to look at him.

"You're not used to being the one getting the attention, are you?" he asked, his voice teasing.  Yu managed to weakly shake his head, trying to get his thoughts to assemble themselves into something that made sense and failing miserably.  Well, he asked Adachi not to let him think; it looked like he was getting his wish.

Adachi, meanwhile, looked a bit sad at his response, almost pitying.  He shifted, holding Yu a little tighter as he maneuvered the two of them around until Yu was resting with his head on the cushion that had been left on the couch from that morning, the detective settling between his legs.

"That's not fair," he replied idly, sounding more like he was commenting on the weather and he released Yu in favor of unbuttoning his shirt.  The teen flinched as the fabric was pulled away, not realizing how heated his skin had gotten until he was exposed to the cool air.  "You give and give, and you never get anything in return?  Not even a little kiss from the girls?"

Yu did not get a chance to answer as Adachi dipped down, lips brushing ghost light against his collar.  A soft moan came out from him instead, and the detective took it as an invitation at explore, lips brushing along his chest.  It took a moment, but Yu was able to put a word to what he was doing: he was _worshipping_ his body, and the realization made him horribly confused.  Heck, why was Adachi even going for this anyway?  Was he trying to lure him into a false sense of security, to make him think there was no way he was the murderer?

Adachi's hands settled on his hips, and Yu jumped slightly at how far down he got.  The detective chuckled as he finally lifted his head, coming back up to place a soft kiss on his lips.

"We shouldn't be doing this, you know," he murmured, but that did not keep him from boldly cupping Yu's crotch with a hand, stroking him through his pants.  His hips jerked up toward his hand over their own will, and another low moan escaped from him as he struggled to keep his mind on what was happening.

"A-Adachi-san…" he whimpered, but to his disappointment the detective pulled his hand away from him.  A disappointed noise escaped from him, but he silenced him with a hand over his mouth.  Yu looked up at him, confused, especially since it took him a moment to pull his hand away.

"Tell me what you want me to do," he said softly.  "Just be sure it's what you want; at this point, there's no going back."

What a loaded request; Yu stared up at the detective as he forced himself to calm down, to force himself to think.  There was really no going back, in more ways than one.  This was really his last chance to back out and do the right thing, to reveal Adachi for what he really was and save face with his friends.  No one needed to know what he had almost done, and even if they found out… it was forgivable, right?  Especially considering how hard Adachi was working to put him at ease here.

And yet…

Yu pushed himself up, though he had a bit of trouble looking him in the eye, mostly what he was going to say next seemed exceptionally corny, and out of a cheap porn novel.

"I…" he began, feeling his stomach twist as his face grew hot.  His voice dropped down to an embarrassed whisper, not even sure if Adachi would be able to hear him.  "I want you inside of me."

Adachi stared a moment, not sure if he heard him right, before a grunt of surprise came from him, and his own face turned a fresh shade of red.  His mouth worked a moment, before he finally clicked it shut, shaking his head.

"Man, you're so blunt," he finally managed to get out… but after a moment a bit of a sly grin came to his face.  Yu felt panic rise up in his chest for a moment, fearing that he had made a terrible mistake and he was about to pay for it.  Instead, Adachi pulled him over so he was sitting on a leg, a hand diving down the teen's pants once he was settled.  Yu inhaled sharply, finding himself leaning back against the detective just so he could nip at his neck again.

"You know…" he murmured, wrapping his hand around his erection and stroking it gently.  Yu gasped sharply, biting his lip as he nudged against that hand, wanting him to move faster than what he was doing.  Adachi continued to take his time, however, humming faintly before he continued, "We're going to need lube."

Yu tried to get his mind working right enough to piece together what Adachi was saying.  Wait, lube…?  Oh, right.

"U-upstairs!" he gasped out, letting out an embarrassed noise at how overly enthusiastic he sounded about it.  Adachi laughing at him did not help, though he did not have a chance to protest as the detective stood up, his hands still down his pants as he led him up the stairs, stumbling the whole way.  He did not pull his hand out until they were in Yu's room, and even then he still held onto him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

He leaned in close, murmuring in his ear.  "Where's that lube?" he asked, and Yu nodded toward the desk he used to study for school.  "All right; get your futon out.  That'll be much more comfortable."

Adachi finally released him then, and Yu felt like he was moving on autopilot as he pushed the coffee table up against the couch to give himself enough room to unroll the futon like he did every night for bed.  He had just finished that, crouching over to even out one of the corners, when he felt Adachi behind him, an arm snaking around his waist again as he grinded against his ass.  Yu let out a startled grunt, not expecting that and fumbling, dropping down to his knees.

"Easy!" Adachi exclaimed, letting out a faint laugh as he fell down behind him.  His other hand came up, gently rubbing against his side as he hummed thoughtfully to himself.  "I wonder… would this way be okay for a first time?"

Yu trembled, eyes widening slightly, finally realizing just how helpless he was in this situation.  It felt like ice went through is blood at the realization, and he was not sure just what he was supposed to do now; very rarely had he felt this powerless, and never had he invited it on himself like this.  Adachi used his hesitation to push him down against the futon, grasping him by a shoulder and turning him over; he was taking full control of what was going on, despite the fact that Yu had been the one to initiate this madness.  He tried to sit up, tried to take back control over himself, but Adachi just pushed him back down again.

"Hey, now…" he began.  "Remember what I asked you before?  About you never getting the attention?"

There was something in the detective's eyes… Yu had not noticed it before, too caught up in what he was doing to focus on it.  It was almost like there was something _dark_ there, just hidden behind those warm grey eyes; like if he looked in his eyes long enough, he would be able to see into darkness itself.  It was a terrifying thought, and for a moment he found himself unable to look away as Adachi hovered over him, his hands working off his pants, leaving his lower body exposed to his roaming hands.

"Well…" Adachi continued, and it felt like the darkness in his eyes took on a predatory gleam.  "I'm going to give you all the attention you could ever need.  And I wanna see your face while I'm doing it."

Yu forgot what it was like to breathe, something strange settling into the pit of his stomach.  He thought it was fear, considering the icy chill that had gone through his body before, and he had every reason to be afraid too.  He had invited a murderer to touch him; he should have expected things to get dark quickly.  When Adachi laid his hands on him again, however, stroking him in slow, deliberate movements, he knew immediately that it was not fear.

He was _excited._

Yu clamped a hand over his mouth, struggling against a whimper as Adachi took his sweet time playing with his erection, keeping his strokes slow like he was trying to help him get used to someone else touching him.  Really, it felt more like the detective was being deliberately sadistic, and once again he found his hips bucking toward his slow hand, trying to get him to move just a little faster.  Instead the detective just frustrated him again by pulling away, fiddling with the lube he had taken from his desk while he was distracted with rolling out the futon.

Wordlessly, he coated his fingers in the cream, and Yu watched as the clear liquid dripped down his fingers as he rubbed them together.  Still without saying a word, Adachi went back to hovering over him, grasping one of his hands and pulling it over his head, his dark eyes never leaving him as he reached between Yu's legs, slick fingers finding his entrance and teasing around it.  Yu inhaled sharply, and it was a struggle to keep himself from tensing up.  He forced himself not to focus on it, instead stubbornly continuing to focus on Adachi's face, even as a finger finally pushing its way inside of him.

"Damn, you're tight," the detective muttered as he tried to loosen him up, the finger in him working back and forth.  Yu flinched, his breath coming out in rapid gasps as he struggled not to worm around in discomfort.  It was a moment before Adachi slipped in a second finger (though forced in felt more accurate), scissoring him slowly.  "This is probably going to hurt no matter what I do."

His words, Yu noted, did not match the expression on his face; Adachi sounded concerned, but the idle smile gave him away.  That was not what worried him; what worried Yu was how little he cared.  He was more preoccupied with his breath coming out in rapid gasps and his heart feeling like it was going to pound out of his chest, and how the pain from what Adachi's fingers were doing was making him feel lightheaded, to the point where he was not entirely sure if it was pain anymore.  On top of all that, he could feel a sort of _ache_ deep inside, like there was a void inside of him that needed to be filled.  He was pretty sure what could fill _that._

"Adachi-san, _please,"_ he found himself begging breathlessly.

"Geeze, you're so impatient," Adachi whined in return, but he did not look particularly upset as he pulled his fingers out.  He was working his own pants down one handed the next moment, muttering a curse under his breath as his own neglected erection was freed.  Yu wanted to sit up, wanted to help him just _move faster,_ but he continued to hold onto him, keeping the teen down as he grabbed the lube again, prepping himself with one hand.  It felt like forever before the detective was hovering over him once more, pushing one of Yu's legs up as he positioned himself.

Adachi did not give him a warning as he started pushing into him, and Yu could feel his heart leap up into his throat as pain shot straight up his back.  He fought desperately not to scream, squeezing his eyes against tears.  He could dimly hear the detective swearing – no doubt it was about as painful for him – though he could barely make it out over the rushing sound in his ears.  It did not help, at least from Yu's viewpoint, that Adachi was still moving _so slow,_ inching into him like they had days to be alone together.  Yu could not stand it… which was probably what led him to doing his dumbest action of the night.

His free leg came up around Adachi, the heal of his foot settling on his back, just above his hip… before shoving himself closer as hard as he could.

Adachi let out a fumbled curse as he suddenly found himself slamming forward into Yu, though whatever he said was drowned out by the scream of pain the teen let out.  For a moment, everything blanked, like Yu just stopped _existing,_ before he felt Adachi's hand on his shoulder.

"H-hey, Yu!" he exclaimed, letting out a scared noise when Yu finally acknowledged him, not knowing he had been trying to get him to respond for a good minute.  "Sheesh, don't scare me like that!  And that was really dumb!  Why the hell did you think I was going slow?!"

Yu shifted carefully, something that he suspected was supposed to be pain shooting through his body at each little movement.  His perception of pain had long passed his body's limit, and what he felt… was _pleasant._ It was a weird word to describe what it felt like, but it was the only thing he could think of; it was like a rush of feeling, making every nerve on his body feel like it was hyperaware.  A trembling moan escaped from him, and he found himself nudging toward Adachi, silently encouraging him to move and make that feeling keep rushing through him.

Adachi just stared at him silently for a moment, and if Yu had been in any frame of mind to notice things outside of himself, he would have been able to notice the detective's face curling up in sadistic glee.  A not entirely sane grin spread over his face as he hooked an arm around one of Yu's legs, settling himself into a position that was good for him.

"Fine, I see how you want it…" he said… but it did not _sound_ like Adachi, at least how Yu knew him anyway.  He was too far gone to comment on the darkening of the detective's voice however, and when he started moving in him, hard and fast, he did not have a voice for anything but his screams.

Yu struggled to stay quiet, as he had never been a very vocal person, but he had also never felt anything as intensely overwhelming as what each rough thrust inside of him.  He forced himself to keep his gaze on Adachi, his vision hazed over, but still seeing the _hunger_ in the detective's eyes as he stared down at him, refusing to miss the slightest change in Yu's expression.  He must have seen something he liked because he let out a possessive growl, finally letting go of Yu's hand in favor of grabbing his hair instead, yanking his head back to expose his throat.  He bit down on the soft flesh harshly, drawing a whimpering cry out of Yu as he worked the skin between his teeth, fully intending to leave the darkest bruise behind that he could.

With both hands free, Yu slid them up to hold onto the detective in a possessive grasp, holding onto him so tight he probably would have left finger nail marks behind had he not still been wearing his shirt and jacket.  He struggled to meet the detective's thrusts, hips jerking up as best as he could time them, but with his mind swimming and drowning in what Adachi was doing to him, he could barely keep up.

The detective finally pulled himself away from his throat, a faint tint of red clinging to his teeth.  He released Yu's hair and pulled away a little, just enough to where he could grab both of the teen's legs and lift them up.  He began to piston into him, hard rapid thrusts that had what little of Yu's mind left spinning out of control.  A low moan began in the back of his throat, escalating rapidly as he reached his limit and finally came.

It felt like he skipped a few minutes of his life, because in the next moment Adachi had pitched forward, planting his hands on either side of Yu, arms shaking as he fought not to fall on top of him.  He could only stare up at him, watching him trying to get a hold of himself; Yu felt entirely boneless, and if he even tried to move all he would do was flop around uselessly.  Still, he felt like he had to do something, and he reached a shaking hand up, gently brushing back some of the detective's perpetually messy hair.  Adachi's eyes found his, and for a moment Yu could see something _wild_ and _lustful_ there amongst the darkness, but it was gone in the next moment, and the detective he knew was back.

He felt Adachi's arms encircle him, gently lifting up his boneless form.  He hung from his arm, limbs moving and flopping of their own accord, and the detective let out a faint, humored noise, leaning back a little so Yu could flop against his shoulder.

"Damn, kid…" he murmured, a hand coming up to rub his back.  "I didn't know you had that in you."

Yu just let out a pleased sounding moan in response, not really in the mood to try and remember what words were supposed to sound like coming out of his mouth.  Adachi snorted at that, glancing around, like he wasn't sure what he should do now.  He looked between the top of the futon, where Yu's pillow had somehow remained undisturbed through all that, to the couch, before he finally let out a soft breath.

He felt himself being shifted and moved, his head lulling around until it was resting on his pillow, Adachi's head coming to rest next to his a moment later.  The detective only moved once, to pull the sheets over them both, before letting an arm drape loosely over Yu.

"I'm sleeping here tonight," he declared, making it sound like Yu had no say in the matter.  Really, he would have been concerned if Adachi tried to _leave,_ and he fought with his floppy body to return the favor, managing to get an arm up enough to slide over Adachi's side.  He pressed his hand against his back and weakly pulled himself closer, the detective helping him until he was successfully curled up against his chest.

This was his now.  There was no going back, there was no severing the chain.  This Social Link would be staying with him for good.


	2. January

Yu was addicted, and he could not find a way to hate himself for it.

Adachi kept him company throughout the month of December as much as he could, sometimes sneaking out of work on Sundays for a quickie wherever he found Yu that day.  At night, when the detective was not stuck doing overtime… well, they tried to just sit together and watch TV, but eventually a hand would end up in a place that it should not have been, and then they were stumbling up the stairs.  Adachi used to swear that Yu deliberately left what he needed in his room just to get him to molest him a little longer.  He might have been a little right; it was fun when Adachi got creative or tried to lift him over his shoulder in his mad dash for the upstairs.

There were a few times they did not make it, however, and Yu had a feeling tonight would be one of those times.  One of Adachi's favorite little games was to see how long he could last while watching a show he liked.  Yu, being stubborn, always tried not to wriggle and squirm and make those noises the detective said he loved hearing; it was a bit hard to do when the older man had his hand down his pants, stroking and fingering him slowly, just to draw out the torture that much longer.  He had yet to make it through a whole half hour show, but tonight he was determined, despite the fact that his pants were already too tight and he felt like he was going to scream.  It was a struggle to keep his usual neutral expression plastered on his face as a finger gently prodded around his entrance, swirling and swirling and teasing to dip inside but never actually quite getting that far.

The finger removed itself when a commercial came on, stroking his hard shaft instead; "going easy on him", apparently.  Yu forced out a breath, trying to focus on the television, on the table, on the fog outside, anything but what Adachi was doing.  He struggled, his mind working, trying to find something to do other than hear his breathing and his heart beat pick up in tempo.

"Why does it feel like you're holding back on me?"

Adachi froze at the blunt question that was suddenly blurted from Yu's mouth.  He might have let out a breath of relief, but somehow the detective _stopping_ only made matters worse.  Still, the question was asked, and he glanced up at him to see the mute surprise on his face.

"I noticed the last few times," he clarified.  "What's wrong?"

Adachi stared for a moment longer, before he let out a sheepish noise.  "Ah, I… er…" he struggled, trying to find a good answer.  Yu had gotten used to reading him; it really was not that hard when you knew what to look for.  There would be those times like this, where he would struggle for words.  If he paused overly long, like he was now, that was how Yu knew he really got him flabbergasted.  "W-well… you're still a kid… we shouldn't be doing this…"

Also, when he pulled the "we shouldn't be doing this," card, it was usually because he was trying to bait him into something he wanted Yu to do.  He really had to wonder how much Adachi thought he was really manipulating him, or if he realized yet that he was letting him talk him into just about anything.

"What is it?" he asked.

Adachi's fingers moved against him, reminding him that he was already worked up.  Yu bit back a hiss, but the detective was not paying attention, a pensive look on his face.  Again with the distractions; just what did the murdering bastard want that he was trying this hard?

"Ah, well… not that I haven't thought about doing… _different_ things with you…" he finally mumbled, turning a fresh shade of red (it was obvious why too; he was not embarrassed, he was thinking about _things)._ "But you know… this is a difficult enough relationship.  Better to just enjoy what we've got, right?"

Yu was about to call him out on that; he was obviously keeping things from him, but then a finger hooked directly into him, pushing in with agonizing slowness, and the thought left his mind.  He would have to figure it out later; right now he needed to worry about the fact that he probably was going to come before the next commercial break.

~.oOOo.~ 

A few days later found Yu walking to the police station from his last day of school for the year, the phone pressed to his ear as he mentally took down everything his uncle was telling him.  He had called from the hospital, telling him to pick up some things from his desk.  He was not so sure about helping his uncle go against the doctors' orders to _rest_ while in the hospital, but he doubted his uncle would actually listen to him.  He was going on about how he was _certain_ that the true murder was still out there, despite all "evidence" to the contrary, but no one at the station was free to pick up what he needed, and special permission was given for him to do it.  It would not have been the first time he wanted to tell his uncle he was not wrong, but there was no way he could.  If he spoke up, there went the only social link he could guarantee would be at his side always.

And maybe, just maybe, he did not want to give up their nightly encounters either.

Yu was heading up the stairs to the station a few moments later, promising he would get his uncle the files he needed and be at the hospital in a half hour before hanging up.  The station secretary and been expecting him, used to seeing him around any time Dojima needed a change of clothes dropped off, and she waved him toward the detectives desks.  He paused as he entered the office room, glancing around, half hoping to see Adachi hovering around his desk next to his uncle's, but the detective was nowhere in sight.  Privately, he hated how upset he was by that; what did he expect?  For a quickie in the middle of the _station?_

He shook his head, just as another detective came up to him.  "Oh, you're Dojima's nephew, right?" he asked, never mind he probably already knew the answer.  Yu gave a nod, and the detective motioned him over to his uncle's desk.  "We've already got the stuff Dojima-san wanted ready.  Go ahead and take it."

Yu gave a nod, murmuring his thanks and going to do just that, when he paused.  Just behind his uncle's desk was a supply shelf with, among other things, the brilliant yellow and stark black of police tape glaring out at him.  He stared for a moment, his conversation with Adachi a few nights ago drifting back to mind.  Adachi wanted to do other things with him… and the detective obviously got off on having power over someone else…  Yu's mind was working overtime, and he could already come up with a million ways he could make use of that tape, as well as how _badly_ it could end.  Was he really willing to give someone that much power?  Was he willing to give a _murderer_ that much power?

"Hey," he began before he could stop himself, getting the detective's attention before he could go back to his work.  "Is there any chance I could get some police tape?  I'm… going to be going back to Tokyo soon… it would be cool to have the real thing in my room."

Yu flinched internally; he was a terrible liar, and he knew it too.  He would not have bought into any lies coming out of his mouth, but the detective seemed to get it, if the lopsided grin was any clue.

"Room's a disaster, hunh?" he asked, sounding amused.  Yu just gave a nod, not believing he was actually going for it as the detective waved toward the shelf.  "Sure, there's a roll on there that's almost out.  It'll be less of a hassle to just get rid of it."

The detective walked off, and Yu spotted the roll in question.  It was certainly smaller than the others, but there was still quite enough left on there… possibly to tie up a person?  He did not know; they'd have to find that out later, and he grabbed it, stuffing it into his briefcase, before taking the files on his uncle's desk and bolting out of there before he could rethink what he was doing.

He made his way to the bus stop, holding the folder of paperwork tight against his chest as he boarded and sat all the way in the back.  Not that sitting in the back would have made much difference; there was no one else on the bus at this time of day, not to mention people hardly wanted to venture out into the fog anymore anyway.

As the bus started off, he finally relaxed a little, glancing at the folder in his arms.  It was very likely it had all the materials about the case inside of it… or did it?  He did not doubt Adachi would destroy what evidence he could, and he shouldn't worry about it.  Fear and worry was gnawing at him anyway; what if he had overlooked something?  What if there was something that Dojima would be able to tie back to him, or worse, what if Adachi had left something _really_ important in the folder by accident?  His heart was doing flips in his chest, and he tried to tell himself that it was okay, he would not be that stupid.  The detective was actually really smart, he just played at being incompetent.  Still, curiosity and fear got the better of him anyway, and he snapped the folder open before he could think about it again.

And there, right on top, were the two threatening letters he had received.

Yu's eyes widened slightly at the sight of them, having completely forgotten about them in all the chaos with Nanako's kidnapping and finding Namatame.  _Why_ would Adachi just leave those in there?!  They were probably one of the only scraps of physical evidence that pointed away from Namatame to someone else in the entire case.  Was he that confident they would not be traced back to him?

He glanced up again, looking around the abandoned bus.  He could see where the cameras were placed, but he could not tell for sure where any of them were pointing.  For all he knew, they were all pointed straight at him, and the folder that now felt like a thousand pounds in his hands.  Did Dojima know that those letters were in there?  If he took them out, would he notice?

…why was he even thinking about taking them out?!

Yu forced out a breath, trying to calm himself… and taking the two letters out and stuffing them in his briefcase.  A heavy weight settled deep in his gut, and he sunk back in his seat, snapping the folder shut and forcing himself not to think about what he had just done.

~.oOOo.~

To say that he was surprised to already see Adachi in his uncle's hospital room would have been an understatement.  Yu stopped dead in the doorway, staring at the other detective as Adachi looked up in surprise himself, at a loss for words.  After a moment, and to hide the awkward surprise between the two of them, he let out an irritable noise.

"Geeze, Dojima-san!  You've even got Yu doing your dirty work?" he asked, planting his hands on the bed.  "You're following the doctor's orders, all right?  You keep this up you're going to get suspended until you're out of the hospital."

Adachi shot up then, Dojima shouting behind him as he grabbed Yu and ushered him out.  Yu let out an awkward noise, trying to tell his uncle that Adachi was probably right, but the detective closed the door before he could say anything, pushing him down the hall a small ways.  He nodded to a nurse, rolling his eyes good naturedly, and she just shook her head, obviously used to yelling and Adachi running from Dojima's room by now.

They did not stop until they were well away from Dojima's room, in a wing that seemed to be completely empty of both patients and doctors.  Adachi finally came around, taking the folder from him, though he did not remove the arm from around him, holding him gently.

"Geeze, sorry about that…" he muttered.  "I was trying to talk him out of doing work while in the hospital again.  He just doesn't know when to quit."

Adachi rubbed his back lightly, before removing his arm to flip open the folder.  The detective paused a moment, staring at the paper at the top, like he was reading it... but he was fairly certain he was not actually reading it.  Yu's heart flipped in his chest, and for a moment he was sure that Adachi was going to say something, make some comment about how something was missing.  Instead, he just snapped the folder closed, giving him a small smile.

"Hey, you okay?  You look kinda pale…"

Yu let out a breath, not realizing he had stopped breathing, and just shook his head.  "No… it's just been cold, I guess.  And all the fog."

"Yeah, this fog makes everything impossible to see," Adachi replied casually, and Yu could not help but feel there had been a double meaning hidden in there.  He reached over, resting a hand on his shoulder, letting it trail down his arm.  "Well, if you're not feeling that great, I'm sure I can think of a way to help you feel better…"

Yu stared at him, at a loss for words.  He was fairly sure that Adachi at least suspected he knew what he was now, and was already thinking on what to do about him.  Did he think of him as a liability?  Did he take too big of a risk by trying to protect the murderer?  He licked his lips, feeling like his tongue was sandpaper and his mouth was completely dry.  Somehow, despite how sick it was… he could not help but wonder if Adachi would react a _different_ way…

"N-not in the middle of the hospital," he protested, flinching slightly as his stray thoughts affected his voice.  "Tonight… I've got something for you anyway."

Adachi could not keep the interested look off his face.  _"Really?"_

Yu gave a small nod, not trusting his voice.  The detective stared at him, before letting out a small laugh, giving his arm a squeeze.

"See you tonight then," he murmured, his voice coming out as more of a purr as he released him, taking the folder and disappearing around the corner.  Yu stared after him, and for a moment he was certain he could feel his knees shaking.  He fell back, leaning against the wall and feeling like his stomach was about to hit his shoes, scared that tonight may well be his last night in the real world, should Adachi deem him too much of a risk to leave alive… and excited about what the detective might do to him should he think otherwise…

~.oOOo.~

Yu sat in his room, the light of the setting sun filtering through the fog and streaming into his window, shining on the two pieces of paper he had rested on his table.  Two pieces of paper, two threatening letters, two vital pieces of evidence; they were so important to everything him and his friends had done in the year he had been there, and their existence would put away the true murderer for good.

…and he could not let that happen.

He stared down at his hands, at the small lighter he had taken from his uncle's room.  This evidence needed to disappear if he was going to be happy, if he was going to be able to keep one of his bonds forever.  At the same time, what if Adachi decided he was not worthy of keeping his secret?  Would all this effort had been worth it?  Would this stain on his soul really be worth something that would lead to his death anyway?

At the same time… could he _not_ take that chance, and end up completely alone again…?

It felt like he had removed himself from his body, and Yu was watching himself as he lifted the pieces of paper, holding them up as he flicked on the lighter, holding it up to the sheets.  His fingers snapped the lighter closed again as the fire took to the paper easily, watching himself hold the evidence up before him, watching it burn.  He watched himself set it down amongst the ashes that fell to the table once the flames got too close to his fingers for comfort, staring at it as the paper crumpled away into little black flecks of nothing.

Yu blinked, and he was back in his body, feeling his heart hammering in his chest as his head swam independently of his shoulders.  It was done… the only thing that could point the case away from Namatame was gone, and he would never have to worry about anyone making the connection to Adachi.  The murderer was safe… and…

…and now his murders were shared.

The full impact of what he had just done hit him at once.  He had destroyed evidence to protect a criminal… it was just as if he had murdered those two women himself.  His stomach lurched violently, and he let out a pained gasp, arms wrapping around his midsection as he could feel the lurching heading upward in his body.  Somehow, he forced himself up, stumbling to the bathroom just in time to throw up in the toilet.

It felt like ages before his stomach finally stopped heaving, and as he pulled away, he could hear the doorbell going off frantically downstairs.  He managed to throw some water on his face and swish some about in his mouth, before finally hurrying down to open the door.  Adachi looked like he was about to try breaking down the door next, and the detective stared at him, looking like he wanted to yell at him for taking so long and making him worry.  Whatever he was going to say died quickly, and the detective was stepping into the house quickly, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Damn, kid, you're burning…" he murmured, his other hand wrapping an arm around him securely.  Yu stiffened in his grasp… but still, despite his fears from before, he could still feel that weird warm and safe feeling he got every time the detective held onto him.

"Sorry… I threw up before…" Yu admitted, leaning to rest against Adachi's shoulder.  The detective let out a concerned noise, holding him tight as he directed him back up the stairs and to his room.  He laid him down on the couch, rolling out his futon for him, before relocating him to that.  He hovered over him, his fingers gently trailing along his face.

"Hey… why don't I go make you something for once?" Adachi asked.  Despite still feeling ill, Yu had to give the detective the most doubting expression he could muster.  "H-hey, don't look at me like that!  I can cook… really!"

He actually pouted, before giving his shoulder a squeeze and getting up to leave.  He paused, and Yu could see him glancing overly long at the table… where the ashes of his betrayal were still laying there.  There was a moment were he stopped breathing; he knew Adachi had to know what he had just done… it could not take him that much to figure out.  The detective was much smarter than he acted, after all.

Finally, he just left the room, and a weird, heavy feeling settled over Yu as he relaxed against the futon; he was still alive, for now.  How long that would last, however, he had no idea.

It was some time before Adachi came back upstairs, after a lot of cursing and banging from below.  Yu did not even want to think about the state of the kitchen at the moment as the detective proudly rested a bowl of broth, rice, vegetables, and shrimp, looking entirely smug about it.  He raised an eyebrow, before taking up a spoonful, surprised that it… actually was very good.  Apparently there was more than a few things Adachi pretended to be terrible at to get an easy ride through life.

The more he ate, the better Yu began to feel, and Adachi sat curled up beside him, chin rested on his shoulder as his hand gently rubbed at his back.  By the time he finished he felt almost normal, and the detective took the bowl from him, setting it down on the table and obscuring the ashes from his immediate view.  He was back beside him almost immediately, both arms wrapping around his waist, as if he were saying, "This was mine," or maybe even, "I'll enjoy this before shoving it into a TV."

He let out a shuddering breath, afraid and excited all over again.  Yu thought he had control over the situation, he thought he could just let Adachi think he was manipulating him into doing what he wanted to do already.  Now he was not so sure who really had the control in this situation.

"Hey," Adachi began, making him jump.  "Why don't you get some sleep?  You'll feel better after a good night's rest."

He could feel Adachi shift, like he was going to leave, but Yu's hand snapped out, grabbing onto him tightly.  The detective let out a bewildered noise, staring at him, and all Yu could do was panic in his mind.  Either he was going to leave and severe their bond or he was going to kill him, with that bond remaining as he wanted it to only a slim, fleeting possibility.  He needed to convince Adachi to stay, anyway he could.

"…I said I got you something," he said before he could stop himself.

Adachi stared at him, and it was that overly long pause that told Yu he really had him surprised.  "Kid, I don't want you to get even more sick."

Yu shook his head; he already knew he would not get sicker, not with how he had gotten ill in the first place.  He reached over to his school briefcase as Adachi let out an exasperated noise at being ignored, and pulled out the yellow and black police tape he had asked to take earlier that afternoon.  The detective stopped cold at the sight of it as Yu held it up, and for a moment it was hard to tell just what the man was thinking.

"What…?" Adachi began, but he could not finish the question, absently licking his lips.  He already knew what and why… he did not really need to answer him.

"You said you wanted to do something different," Yu replied.  "This is my way of saying… it's okay.  I don't mind.  I know this is dangerous, that if anyone found out about us it would end bad for both of us, but… I don't care.  We're already in this pretty deep anyway."

Adachi stared at him, and Yu could feel his heart stop in his chest.  That moment as the detective mulled over what he said in his mind felt like it took hours, before he finally spoke up.

"You almost make it sound like you're confessing to a crime," he said, his hand sliding over the tape to take it.  He held it loosely in his hand, fingers brushing against Yu's as he took it.  The touch was enough to make him shake, though out of anticipation or fear, he had no idea.  He tried to think of a way to answer, but just as he tried Adachi's other hand trailed up his side, and whatever thoughts he had fled from his mind.  The detective pressed closer, lips brushing against his ear.

"You're giving me permission to do what I want…?" he asked softly.

Yu let out a shuddering breath, already feeling his heart pounding in his chest.  "Yes…"

He could feel Adachi smile against his ear, shifting down to press a kiss against his neck, before shuffling around behind him.  The detective slipped the police tape through his hands, tearing off a piece and setting the roll within easy reach before he looped the piece over Yu's eyes.  He froze as his world suddenly turned yellow and black, and the tape was tied off behind his head.  Other than those two colors, he could not see anything else, and was left to only feeling as Adachi's hands came up, gently pulling away the collar of his shirt to expose his neck.

The detective's teeth sunk into the back of his neck, biting down hard and drawing a strangled gasp from him, though Yu was not sure if it was because it hurt, it felt good, or because he just had not been expecting it.  He began sucking on his neck immediately after, his arms coming around to work off his shirt.  Adachi's fingers felt ice cold against his heated skin, and a faint, whimpering moan escaped from him as he felt his shirt peel away from his body.

Adachi was unusually silent as his lips trailed along his body, his touch falling upon his skin and shooting fire through him.  The detective was moving him how he wanted him to move, pulling his arms behind him slowly as he left little bite marks along his skin.  Yu could hear the rustle of the police tape again, and felt the cold plastic wrapping around his wrists, twining around his arms with deft expertise, almost as if Adachi had experience tying people up before.  With a _jerk,_ his arms were pulled tight together against his back, and Yu felt like his heart was going to explode from his chest in nerves.  He could not see, could barely move… and it was ridiculously exciting, as much as he hated to admit it.

He felt Adachi's arm wrap around him, cupping his crotch as Yu felt himself being tilted forward, just so the detective could easily grind against his ass.  The friction from both sides was mind numbing, and he let out a desperate, needy moan before he could stop himself.  Usually by now Adachi had said _something,_ but he stayed quiet, and it was only Yu's pleasured keens that broke the silence as the detective ground against him hard as the heel of his hand pressed against him.

He started moving faster against him, and Yu's cries had escalated to near screams, yet still Adachi had not said anything, remaining completely silent the whole time.  Usually he had uttered a curse or something by now, and somehow the detective not saying anything only made what he was doing to him that much more exciting.

"A-Adachi-san!  _Please!"_

It took a moment for Yu to realize that desperate plea had come from him.  He could feel his face burning in embarrassment, especially as he felt Adachi slip out from behind him.  In his current state, he could not really keep his balance well, especially with his arms tied behind his back.  Yu pitched forward, letting out a faint noise as he hit the soft fabric of his futon sheets.  He shifted, trying to put himself into a comfortable position, when he felt Adachi's arm around his midsection, working off his pants and tossing them aside before positioning him exactly how he wanted him to be.  The detective's hands were shamelessly all over him, gently pushing his legs where he wanted, angling his back the way he wanted, leaving his rear sticking up in the air.

…and then silence.

Yu trembled as he felt Adachi pull away from him again, the detective still silent.  The futon shifted a little, and he could guess that he was going for the lube's new hiding place in the folds of the mattress.  The silence continued, and he strained to hear something, anything that could give him a clue as to what Adachi was doing, but he did not get to find out until he felt something being carefully pressed against his entrance.

He let out a sharp gasp, realizing then that Adachi was not bothering with preparing him first.  The detective pushed into him slowly, and Yu realized he could not do _anything;_ his fingers clawed uselessly at the air, his body trembled, wanting to squirm where he was propped up, but he was stuck.  He was stuck in the place Adachi wanted him to be, leaving him completely at the detective's mercy.

Despite how much it was hurting to be penetrated without prep, he could not help but let out a deep, pleased moan.  The realization of how helpless he was, instead of scaring him, had the opposite effect; and Adachi taking his sweet time to bury himself inside of him made it that much more pleasurable.  It felt like forever until the detective settled against him, and he could finally hear him let out a shuddering breath.  He could feel his hand come up along his side, stroking him with something akin to lovingness, before he started rocking into him, slowly but _hard._ Yu let out a sharp gasp, pain shooting up his spine, but he did not care; they had never had sex this way, with him in this position before.  The different angle made it feel like Adachi was pushing deeper inside of him, and the harder he pushed the further in it felt like he was going.  It felt _amazing,_ and it did not take long before the pain was just a distant throb in the back of his mind.

The more he moaned for him, the more Adachi picked up the pace, to the point where he was slamming into him as hard and as fast as he could.  Yu was near screaming, his moans loud and desperate when the detective's name was not being uttered in between.  Adachi still had not said anything, but he could hear him breathing heavily at his back, especially as he leaned over, reaching around to stroke him in time with his rapid thrusts.  It did not take much for Yu after that, and he finally let out a loud scream as he came in Adachi's hand.

Yu was fairly sure he blacked out for a moment, because it felt like time had elapsed more than he had actually experienced.  He struggled for air, his heart pounding so loudly in his ears that he almost missed the sound of a metal click.  Yu paused, struggling to get his breathing under control as he frowned, his sex hazed mind trying to place where he had heard that click before.  It came again, along with the rustle of cloth, and then he could feel Adachi moving again, carefully pulling out of him before untying the police tape.

The detective's arms wrapped around him as Yu's own arms were freed, and he let out a faint sound as he felt himself lifted up.  Adachi let him curl up against his shoulder before he finally removed the tape blindfold, and Yu blinked up at him blearily.  He smiled down at him, brushing Yu's sweaty bangs out of his face and holding him close.

"Feel better?" he asked softly, pressing a soft kiss against his forehead.  Yu wanted to actually say he did, but his throat felt like sandpaper from how vocal he had been.  He flushed, embarrassed as he gave a meek nod.  Instead of teasing him for it, Adachi just chuckled.  "You're so vocal… never figured you for a screamer.  You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

Yu was silent for a moment, before he let his eyes fall closed, resting against him comfortably.  He felt warm and safe… he should not be feeling that way with the murderer, but after going this far, he was fairly sure that there was no way he would be able to feel that way with a normal person.

"Yeah," he replied softly.  "Quite a few surprises."

~.oOOo.~ 

There was a loud tick as the seconds clicked over to midnight, and the whine of the television set filled the room, a yellowish glow pouring out from the small CRT unit resting on the dresser as it turned itself on.  Static filled the screen, gradually clearing to reveal a young man with short hair staring out into the real world.  His gaze was dark despite the yellow gleam of his eyes, and he was wearing nothing but a collar, with strings barely visible in the distorted image wrapped around the collar and each wrist.  An arm came around the boy, holding him in a possessive grasp before the image winked out as the minute hand ticked off to 12:01 AM.

The room fell dark again, and the one that was still awake let out an amused noise, pulling the gun away from the side of the young man with short hair, curled up and sleeping peacefully away on his lap.


	3. February

"You two have been coming here together a lot…"

Yu blinked at the suspicious gaze fixed on him by his uncle, doing his best to look like he did not know what he was talking about.  He was a terrible liar and he knew it, but he at least had some practice with giving people that sort of confused, perplexed look since the start of December.  Of course, it helped that the man next to him also had a similar look, all part of his own act of complete innocence.  Adachi was letting out a sheepish laugh, reaching back to rub at his neck, telling Dojima that it was just a coincidence, but Yu knew that wouldn't fly with his uncle.  Dojima may have been stuck in the hospital for a long time, his injuries and the fog keeping him from making a faster recovery, but he was still a sharp detective.

"He's been keeping me company, since I'm the only one at the house," he spoke up in the middle of the other man's lies.

Adachi came to a stuttering halt at that, staring at Yu like he just grew another head, like he was going to start spilling about what they were doing _while_ he was there.  Yu was not going to be that stupid however, fairly certain that one, his uncle would not believe him anyway, and two, there was no way he was going to chase Adachi off like that.  He had long ago crossed the point of no return when he burned the only physical evidence that could tie someone else to the murders last year.  There was no way he was just going to shove Adachi away from him just because his uncle glared at them.

Dojima looked at Adachi suspiciously, before his gaze flicked over to Yu's neutral, serious expression.  A sigh escaped from him a moment later, before he pointed a finger at his partner.

"Don't be doing anything stupid," he warned.

Adachi held up his hands.  "D-Dojima-san, I'm not—why would you—?!" he stammered, before he finally caved, deflating.  "You know what, I don't wanna know."

Dojima's suspicious gaze lingered on his partner for a little longer, before he turned his focus back on Yu.

"More importantly, Yu…" he began, trailing off a moment.  "The doctors haven't been letting me see Nanako today.  Have you spoken to them yet?"

Worry crossed Yu's face; it was not the first time that the doctors would not let them see her, for various reasons.  Her condition had yet to improve from her near death months ago, and the fog that shrouded the town was not helping manners any.  The last time he had sat with her, she had been coughing horribly, to the point where he was chased out of the room so the doctors could tend to her.  He glanced over to the man beside him, knowing that he was partially responsible, but… he could see the concern on Adachi's face, the worry; that was genuine, the kind of concern that could not be faked, no matter what kind of mask was worn on the outside.

"I'll talk to them when I'm done here," Yu finally replied softly.

They talked for a little bit, Dojima asking about how Yu did on his final exams (which of course he passed with flying colors) and if he had discussed with the school counselor yet what he wanted to do with his future.  His discussion was scheduled in March, before he would leave for home, but… he honestly was not sure how that was going to go.  Did he even have a future with the path he had chosen?  Any day, Adachi could decide he was a liability, that it was not worth keeping him alive anymore, and then…

At one point Dojima pointed an accusing finger Adachi, demanding to know when his last day off was.  Yu decided to slip out at that, leaving the detective stammering and struggling for an answer that he could not really give.  He made his way down the hall toward Nanako's room, making a note of the doctors and nurses flitting down the hall.  It was a moment before a nurse stopped him from progressing further, recognizing him.

"I'm sorry, you can't visit Nanako-chan right now," she warned.  Yu's gaze flicked from her to the hall, where he could see a doctor disappearing into Nanako's room in the ICU.  A feeling of dread sunk deep into his stomach, and he felt his mouth go dry.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.  "Is it another coughing fit?"

"I can't say for sure," she replied sadly, as if she already knew what was going to happen, but she did not want to tell him.  Yu felt numb, and he did not move until he felt her hand on his arm, guiding him over to one of the benches outside the room.

Slowly, gradually, the flow of nurses and doctors running in and out stopped, and a heavy silence fell over the hallway.  It was so quiet that it was easy for him to hear the approaching footsteps, though he still did not look up until he felt the hand at his back.

Adachi's genuine expressions were easy to tell apart from his usual looks, and he knew that the concern on his face could not be anything but genuine.  Yu shook, reaching up and grasping his jacket, and the detective let him pull him down and cling to him, curling up and burying his head against his shoulder.  Adachi's arms came around him, rubbing his back gently.

"They're not telling me anything…" he finally murmured after a moment, and Adachi just held him tighter as a response, before quickly releasing him and gently nudging him away.  Yu got the hint, pulling away from the detective just as the door to the ICU opened up, revealing the nurse from before.

"Narukami-kun?" she asked softly.  "You can see your cousin now.  The doctor will explain."

Yu did not need to be told twice, and without sparing Adachi a second glance, he darted inside.  The room had already been a collection of machines, but now it was worse, and a number of tubes were coming off of the small, frail body of his cousin on the bed.  Yu wanted to run to her side immediately, scared at how pale and thin she looked, like she was wasting away before his eyes.  Instead, he forced his gaze toward the doctor in the room, who had been waiting patiently to be acknowledged.

"What happened?" Yu asked, his voice just barely above a whisper.

He knew the news would be bad before the doctor even opened his mouth.  "Nanako-chan has been having difficulty breathing for the past few days, and earlier today her lungs nearly collapsed.  We managed to restart her breathing, and are having her breathe through machinery, but… we don't know how long…"

Yu could not hear what he was saying anymore, the sound of rushing wind and his hammering heartbeat filling his ears.  He shuffled over to Nanako's side, hesitantly reaching out, but too afraid to touch her, least she crumple to dust on the bed.  The doctor excused himself, murmuring faintly about needing to inform Dojima about what was going on, before quietly slipping out of the room.  Yu did not even notice as he dropped his knees by her bedside, his eyes on Nanako's peaceful face, partially obscured by the breathing tube that had been forced down her throat.

It was a long moment before he could think to move, his hands shaking as they came up, resting over one of Nanako's.  She felt so frail, like just touching her hand was going to be enough to shatter it.  He felt like he was handling precious china as he curled his fingers around hers, struggling to find a way to vocalize what he was thinking at that moment.

"…I'm sorry."

It was the only thing he could think to say, and even then it did not feel significant enough to cover just how he felt about what he was doing.  Yu fumbled for a moment, and he could feel tears starting to stream down his face already.

"If I knew for sure that doing the right thing would bring you back, I would…" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as the tears only got worse.  He could not see any more, not that there was much to see other than her ashen face.  "But I'm a coward… I can't… I can't bring myself to…"

He choked off, his grip on her hand tightening, as if that would be enough to push some life back into her.

"…I'm sorry, Nanako…" he murmured, burying his face against the mattress.  "I'm not going to ask for your forgiveness… but… don't watch me… don't watch what I'm doing… I don't want you to see how empty I really am on my own…"

Behind him, at the entrance to the room, the door hung open with a figure barely seen standing in the doorway.  The person just stood there, silent, watching the boy as he cried softly, wanting to approach, wanting to say or do something, no matter how insignificant it could be.  Hell, even the thought to end the game had occurred to him, even if it would ruin the kid, even if he would never be free again… but there was no way he could do that.  He turned his back on the scene, only to flinch as there came a loud, sustained beeping from the machinery in the room, and the agonized screaming that followed.

~.oOOo.~ 

Yu felt like he was dead inside.

Going about his life, knowing that Nanako was dead, that his uncle was in agony having to plan for her funeral while still not back to full health himself; it felt like he was a corpse begging for death, not knowing he was already dead.  His friends tried to stick in there beside him, to offer him words of comfort and encouragement, but they could only say so much and they knew it.  Eventually they stopped trying, and although Yu would come to their meetings at the Junes food court, he was miles away in his mind… and he finally just stopped going all together, tired of pretending that he could be around them with the massive guilty stain that covered his body.

To make matters worse, Adachi had yet to stop by the house, even weeks later.  February was almost over and done, and he had not seen the detective since sitting beside him in the hospital.  He did not know his phone number – despite spending so much time together, he had never thought to ask for it – and he could not bear the thought of going to the police station.

It was his fault…

It was all his fault…

He was on the couch in the living room, staring listlessly at the television one night.  It was not on, and the blank screen stared back at him, as if it had answers to give him, but it was not going to tell that easily.  The house was completely silent, and even his breathing could barely penetrate the silence as he just sat there, the barely eaten remains of dinner resting cold on the table before him.

When the knock came, he was not entirely sure if he really heard it, and it took a second knock before he could get it in his head to move.  Yu rolled off the couch, feeling his body ache at him, telling him to lay back down and just not think of anything anymore.  Whoever it was, they would just go away eventually, right?  Still, his mind told him that it was polite to answer, and he forced himself to the door, opening it, and…

…and staring.

It was raining outside, the water giving an extra haze to the fog that made it seem especially thick.  _He_ was standing there, looking like a scruffy drowned rat with his perpetually messy hair and crooked tie and worn thin work suit.  Adachi opened his mouth, looking like he was going to say something, but Yu did not give him the chance; he flung himself at the detective, wrapping his arms around him and planting his lips over his in a desperate, needy kiss.  He did not care if he got wet, he did not care if the neighbors saw him; once Adachi got over his shock and reached his arms up, holding him tight, it felt like the life had finally been given back to his empty husk of a body.

It was a moment before he could pull away, and Adachi ushered him back into the house, following him inside.  Yu barely gave him enough time to take his shoes off, clinging to him desperately.  The detective did not protest, and instead maneuvered them both to sit, sopping wet and cold, on the couch in the living room.

"Where have you been?" Yu finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Adachi's mouth moved, looking like he was trying to come up with a good lie, before finally settling for the truth:

"…I wasn't sure if I could look at you again," he admitted softly.

Yu knew he probably should have kept up the little "game", pretending he did not know what he was talking about, but that would have taken far too much effort than his current state of mind could muster.  Instead he just clung to him tighter, burying his face against his chest; this was his only lifeline left, his only link, his only bond.  Being without it, thinking it had been completely severed, had felt like agony.

"Don't leave me again," he murmured, feeling hot tears coming to his eyes and soaking into whatever part of the detective's jacket was not already wet.  Adachi just let out a faint sound of agreement, rubbing his back with a gentle hand.

They remained sitting there like that for hours, slowly drying on the couch as Adachi just held onto him, letting him rest against him and cry if he needed to.  It was not until it was nearly midnight that the detective moved, shifting to look down at him.

"We should get to bed, it's late," he said softly.

Yu barely moved, only enough to see the clock, and then shift to the television.  "…I want to see something."

Adachi paused, mustering up a confused look.  "See what?"

Yu was silent for a long moment, glancing back to the clock to see the minute hand click closer and closer to midnight.  Finally, just a moment before, he answered him:

"What I want."

Adachi looked confused, but did not say anything as the time snapped over to midnight, and a whine filled the room as the television turned itself on.  The image was full of static, and Yu felt his breath seize up in his chest as the image gradually cleared, revealing himself on the screen.  He was in what had gradually become his favorite position, whimpering sounds escaping from him as what could only be Adachi rammed into him from behind.  He shifted slightly; oh, so… that's what he looked like during sex… the him on the screen looked like he was at the peak of bliss, like he was going to come at any moment…

And then the gun appeared on the screen.

The gun came down, gently trailing along his back, and the television Yu came to a shuddering stop, whimpering as the reminder that death was close by brushed against his skin.  He let out a trembling, pleased sigh, before finally opening his eyes, brilliant yellow gazing out at the two of them sitting on the couch, before the television winked off.

Silence filled the living room, and Yu could feel Adachi shifting next to him uncomfortably.  He just remained quiet for a long moment, mulling over what he had just seen in his mind, trying to find the meaning behind it.

"S-so…" Adachi began, and Yu could tell he was back to his usual act, as if he could not already tell that the detective had been more than a little turned on by that.  "You… w-want… I mean—"

"I don't think it's meant to be taken literally," Yu cut him off.

"R-right!  Of course not, that's silly," he said quickly, turning away so Yu could not see his face turning a vivid shade of red.  Yu ignored him, however, finding himself looking down at his hands.  He had kept the killer's identity a secret because he wanted to have power over him, to make sure he would have something he could cling to… but was that really the truth?  Did he keep urging Adachi to touch him, to keep coming back because he wanted to have the assurance of someone always being by his side… or did he want to have that chaos take over his life, to be controlled and manipulated and dropped into the deepest pit of emptiness as possible?  To not have to worry about what other people thought of him or wanted outside of his own little world?

When had he stopped caring about the needs of others, and only wanted to focus on his own selfish desires?

He let out a shuddering breath, drawing Adachi's attention back to him.  "Hey, you okay?"

How to even answer that?  Yu shook his head.  "I… I don't know," he murmured.  "I just… I…"

Yu shook, feeling his heart pounding, feeling his throat and chest tighten.  His head swam, and for a moment he felt like he was going to pass out.  That was, until Adachi gripped his shoulder tightly, turning him around to look at him.  He looked like he was going to say something, like he was going to tell him not to blame himself, that it was not his fault, but they both knew that was a lie.  Yu had let everything go to hell, let Nanako die, let his friends drift away from him; he had put himself in a situation where he felt like he could not even breathe without Adachi around.  The weeks where he was away proved it; he needed him, because without him, without being controlled by him, he was empty.

He was a liar and a murderer's accomplice, and without that he was nothing.

Before he even realized he was acknowledging and accepting this part of himself that had taken over, he was pressing closer to Adachi, kissing him deeply.  The detective's grip on his shoulder tightened, like he was going to push him off, but he thought better of it, letting Yu have his way and pull away on his own, though he did not do that until he was having trouble breathing.  He shuddered, his gasps for breath mingling with Adachi's as he stayed close.

"I-I thought it wasn't supposed to be literal?" the detective mumbled, confused, but not complaining.

"No, it wasn't," Yu replied, his hands reaching under his jacket, fingers brushing against the holster, his breath quickening as they encountered cold metal.  "But… maybe it's something I need."

Adachi grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand out from under his jacket.  "It's dangerous; I could shoot you by accident."

"Then don't take the safety off," Yu replied, as if it were that simple.  Adachi rolled his eyes, mouth opened to protest against it, but he was on the detective again, mouth pressing against his hungrily.  He let out a sound of protest, like he was still trying to make it look like he did not want it.  Yu let his other hand come up, working on the buttons of his shirt with one hand, knowing already that was not the case, that Adachi had to have wanted the same thing; why else would it appear on the midnight channel while they were both in the room?  He could feel the detective's hardening erection pressing against his stomach through his pants, and that was all the incentive that he needed to keep going, to bury himself in this so deeply that he could never come back out again.

It took Yu longer to pull away that time, and his head was swimming, feeling like he was drowning.  The detective's hands ran up his back, drawing a needy purr from him as he arced back against his roving hand.  It was gone in the next moment, and Yu heard a click as something hard was pressed against his chest.  He froze, glancing down to see Adachi's gun in hand, an uncertain look on his face that did not match his eyes.  There was sadistic glee in those eyes, and with the look on his face, made him look like a monster that was just waiting to break free.

"If you're going to make me do this, we're gonna do it right," he said, and Yu's eyes fell down to the gun again to see that yes, the safety _was_ off.  Adachi motioned him up with it before he could look at it overly long.  "Get up.  Strip."

Yu did as ordered, though he almost stumbled; his knees felt weak and he was not sure if that was out of fear or excitement.  Both emotions were churning inside of him, making it feel like his skin had been pulled tight over his bones, his fingers tingling as they shook, struggling to get his night shirt and pants off.  As he bent down to let his pants drop, Adachi planted his hand on his head, forcing him down to his knees as he sat up properly on the couch.  The gun was at the side of his head the next moment, and Adachi used it to stroke his head in some sick semblance of fondness.

"You know what to do, kid," he said, his voice sound dark and unnatural, and for a moment Yu had to wonder if that really was still Adachi sitting there.  "And no _teeth_ this time."

Yu's heart was pounding loudly in his chest, the gun an ever constant presence against his skull as he reached his hands up to undo the detective's pants.  This messed up relationship they had just spiraled out of control, and once again it was because he invited it to happen.  Any moment, Adachi could decide he was not worth keeping him alive, or even slip up and pull the trigger in the middle of sex.  He could already picture him disposing of his body in the television as he released his erection, his lips wrapping around the head.  Would the neighbors hear the gun shot?  Would they even care?  Would a body that was already dead even show up in Inaba the next morning?

Yu's thoughts swirled out of control as he worked on Adachi, inching down as far as he could and pausing there a moment, letting the warmth and the wet of his mouth surround the detective.  He did not let him do this often – Adachi liked to protest that he was way too fond of using his teeth, but he knew he secretly enjoyed it when he raked them along the shaft as he pulled back, just like he was doing now.  Adachi bit out a curse, the gun pressing tighter against the side of Yu's head, but he ignored it as he went back down on him.  He paused briefly once again, before going further, deep throating him and letting out a faint hum in the back of his throat.

Adachi let out a strangled noise, his fingers curling around his hair  as Yu shifted a little, before sucking on him hard.  The detective cursed again, tugging sharply and demanding he pull back _now._ His order fell on deaf ears, and Yu reached up, clinging to Adachi's hips as he sucked on him harder.  The tugging at his hair became more insistent, and he flinched as it felt like he was going to rip his hair out, but he stubbornly persisted, even as the gun shook precariously against his head.

"D-dammit, kid!  You—!"

Adachi could not finish; one strong _suck_ as Yu began to pull back again, teeth raking along the shaft once again, and he was done.  He struggled not to gag as the detective came in his mouth, letting out a strangled sounding moan he had never heard from him before.  Yu would have enjoyed it more if he was not busy letting him fall from his mouth, struggling to figure out what he was supposed to do with the horribly bitter mess that was currently drawing a sour face from him.  The gun moved away from his head, planting itself under his chin instead, and Yu cracked an eye open to see Adachi looming over him, a dark look in his eyes.

"Swallow it, you brat."

Yu gave him a sharp look in return, before doing exactly that.  His body shuddered in revulsion as he choked the come down, and he was left gasping for breath in disgust as the gun moved away.  Adachi's hand closed around his neck, dragging him up to his feet, holding the two of them face to face for a moment, like he could not decide what to do with him.  Yu struggled, flinching against the tightness at his throat, even as the detective smashed his lips against his, hungrily devouring him and the bitter taste that still lingered in his mouth.

"You dumbass…" he muttered when he finally pulled away, leaving Yu dizzy from lack of air.  He finally released him then, but not before throwing him unceremoniously on the couch.  Yu landed, half sprawled between the couch and the floor, but the detective fixed that soon after, pulling him up so his knees were braced on the cushions, his ass in the air.  He felt the cold metal pressing against his entrance in the next moment, and he completely froze, forgetting what it meant to breathe.  Adachi chuckled darkly behind him, and as Yu glanced around back at him, he could swear he saw a yellow glint in his eyes…

Without comment, Adachi began to push the barrel of the gun inside of him – was that even the right term to use for that part of the gun?  Yu did not know; the detective had not stretched him or slickened the gun with anything, and despite the fact that the metal was smooth and well taken care of, it was ungodly painful going into him.  Yu struggled to bite back a scream, tears of pain falling along his face as the gun was pushed further inside until he could feel the trigger guard against him.  Adachi began to pull it out, only to ram it into him again and again, and Yu could not fight against the screams anymore, pain shooting through his body in waves that felt more like heaven than the hell this scene would look like to anyone else.

He felt the detective lean in close, his breath clawing at his ear as he spoke, "You sick fuck… you're enjoying every minute of this aren't you…?"

Yu did not need to answer; it was obvious from how his body moved, struggling not to squirm as his fingers clawed at the pillow on the couch.  Whimpered moans and barely contained screams fell from his lips, the only way he could beg for Adachi to go faster, to push it into him harder, and the detective was more than happy to comply.  The gun was ramming into him as quickly as he could shove it into Yu's tightening body, and he could feel Adachi's fingers trembling as he held it, enjoying the sight before him, and…

…and suddenly there was an abnormally loud _clack,_ followed by what might have been the feel of something rushing inside of him.

It felt like time stopped for Yu; his breathing stopped, his heart froze, all motion coming to a complete standstill at that _sound._ Whatever he was supposed to feel, whatever pain and emptiness that was supposed to come with what that sound implied was drowned out as he came hard.  His body remained rigid for a long moment, limbs locked up as his grip on the cushion tightened even more than it already was, before his body finally gave out, collapsing in a limp mess.

He felt the gun being removed, dimly heard Adachi swearing loudly… before there was silence.  It stretched out as Yu felt his vision dimming, his head resting heavily on the cushion he was clinging to, a dim part of his mind recognizing it as Nanako's.  Finally, the silence was broken by a loud _thump_ as Adachi let the gun fall to the ground.  He was scooping Yu up in his arms in the next moment, pulling him away from the cushion and clinging to him tightly.

"Y-you… you freaking dumbass," he hissed, fear laced in his voice, but Yu was so far gone he could not tell for sure if it was genuine or not.  "You're damn lucky I had taken out the clip when I left work."

Oh; Yu blinked blearily, wondering if Adachi had done that on purpose, knowing that this would have happened eventually.  He could not say for sure; the only thing he had been looking for when he glanced at the gun was if the safety was off, not if it was loaded.

Adachi's fingers pressed against the back of his head, holding him close.  It took Yu a moment to remember how his limbs were supposed to move, but he finally reached up, returning the gesture weakly.  It was strange; with all they had done before, he thought that the two of them were bonded, never to be taken apart.  The weeks apart proved him wrong of course, but this night… this night had cemented it.  Yu could never let Adachi go, even if he wanted to cut the detective out of his life, and Adachi just had a taste of how far down into madness he could go.  The detective could not let him go now either, not without destroying them both.

"Why the hell did you make me do that?" he asked, and Yu smiled faintly, knowing he already knew the answer, that it was just a question to keep their game going a little longer.

"…because.  I wasn't the only one that wanted it."


	4. March

Yu sat quietly outside of the councilor's office, his face an emotionless mask, though on the inside his thoughts were running off without him.  He was waiting for his meeting where they would discuss his plans for the future, and… he had no idea what to say.  There was no way that Murderer's Lying Sexual Slave would be an acceptable answer, but he really could not see anything for himself beyond that.  What was even the point of discussing his future when he was not even sure he had a future to look forward to?

He let his mask slip a little, a tired and stressed sigh escaping from him, though it snapped back up just as the door near his chair opened, and he caught sight of a young woman with wavy grey hair peering out at him.

"Narukami-kun?" she asked softly.  "I'm ready for you now."

Yu stood up, following her inside the small office.  He sat down in one of two chairs in front of the desk as the councilor settled behind her desk, absently brushing her wavy hair out of her grey eyes as she started typing away at her computer.  He was silent as she pulled up his information, humming faintly to herself as she read over his test scores.

"Well, Narukami-kun, it seems you've quite the reputation here," she began, her voice soft and motherly.  "You've don't spectacularly in every subject, and your performance in your culture and sports clubs have been exceptional.  Just looking at your test scores, you could do just about anything.  Now I know this meeting is just a courtesy since you're not going to be here next year, but have you put any thought as to what direction you would like to go in the future?"

And there it was, the question he had been mulling over for weeks.  He opened his mouth, and found his answer tumbling out from him, as if all that time spent thinking about it had been pointless.

"I want to get into the police department," he said.  "I want to be a detective, like my uncle."

It was only a half lie; it was not his uncle he wanted to emulate.  She raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, her gaze turned sympathetic.

"Your uncle is an exceptional man," she began.  "It's terrible what happened…"

Yu did not comment, and instead just looked away.  She let out a faint apologetic sound, before turning back to her computer.  A few keystrokes later, and a pamphlet was printing for him to use.

"This will give you an idea of where you need to start to pursue your chosen career path," she began, handing it over to him.  She paused as he started reading over it, a mysterious little smile working its way onto her face.  "Though I have to say… I would not have thought you a person to want to protect and bring _hope_ to others…"

Yu froze at that, his eyes snapping up to look at her.  Her smile merely broadened, and she excused him with a faint nod.  He got up and left, maybe a little too quickly, all the while looking much more guilty than he planned on looking as he dashed out.  The councilor let out an amused laugh, the fog seeping up from underneath her desk, before she vanished from the room.

~.oOOo.~ 

March 20th, his last day in Inaba.

Yu was wandering down the street, contemplating going to say goodbye to his friends, but that did not seem like a good idea.  Most of his "friends" were busy with their lives, either doing jobs or hanging out with their other friends.  He had not really done much with any of them since Nanako died last month, and it did not seem appropriate to bother them now.  Still, even if he wanted to see them again, wandering the streets as he was killed the idea for him.  Everything was empty, and the fog was so thick there was no way a normal human could see though it.

_He_ could see just fine, and not because of the glasses he kept secured in his jacket pocket.  Yu had no idea how it happened, just that as he continued on his path, the fog became less and less of an annoyance for him, to the point where he was conscious of it, but he could still see through it.  Was the fog tied in with Adachi?  Was it present in the real world because the truth was obscured, and he could see so well because he knew the truth?  He did not know, just that every now and then, if he glanced out of the corner of his eye, he could see something dark, like a shadow come to life, searching him out… and then ignoring him, like he was just another Shadow…

Eventually, he found his feet taking him to the police station, up the stairs and into the building.  The secretary glanced up, but did not question as he went right into the detectives' offices.  Perhaps it was luck, or maybe he even expected him, but Adachi was seated at his desk, face buried in whatever it was he was writing on.  His uncle was nowhere in sight, so Yu did not have anything to worry about as he walked right up to the detective's desk, drawing his attention away.

"Yu-kun?  What brings you here?" he asked.

"Can we talk a moment?" Yu asked.

For a moment, Adachi looked like he was going to say no; he glanced down at his work, before he gave a shrug, getting up from his desk.

"C'mon, this way."

Yu fell in step behind him, following him off to one of the interrogation rooms.  He glanced at the room, noting the table, the bed, the television… and the camera glaring down at them both.  Adachi turned toward him in time to see him stop dead in the doorway, and he let out an amused noise as he grabbed him by his arm, dragging him inside and pulling the door closed.  Yu was pressed up against the door in the next moment, the detective leaning close to him.

"Everyone is ridiculously lax here…" he murmured, his hands trailing down his sides.  "There's a few other interrogation rooms with broken cameras."

He paused just enough to press against him in a demanding kiss that Yu was more than happy to reciprocate, letting out a faint sigh as he draped his arms over his shoulders.

"Like I'd ever bring you to a room with a working camera here…" he purred once he pulled away.

Yu let out a shuddering breath, really wanting to give in and maybe surrender himself to a quickie on the bed, but he had more pressing things on his mind.  He let his hand slide down off his shoulder, pressing it against his chest.

"I really do need to talk," he said, though he was not going to object to Adachi staying close.  When the detective did not pull away, Yu let out a breath before continuing, "…I know.  About what you did."

Adachi let out a curious noise, tilting his head as if he did not know what Yu was getting at.  He managed to hold that look for a long moment, before he finally let out a breath, rolling his eyes as he pulled away from him.

"Damn, you had to pick _today_ to bring that up?" he grumbled, running a hand through his hair.  "You know how much I was hoping you just came here for one last screw?"

Yu's expression remained completely neutral as Adachi let out a sigh, letting his hand drop.  "I gotta know though, kid…" he continued.  "When did you figure it out?  I know it was in January, but what really tipped you off?"

He shook his head.  "I didn't in January.  I figured it out in December, before our first time."

Adachi froze, staring at him, looking like he was going to call bullshit on that.  His mouth worked, trying to say something, before he finally clicked it shut, putting everything that happened back then together in his head.  It was a long moment before he could speak, sounding completely dumbfounded.

"You went along with—" he began, before cutting himself off, rethinking that.  "You _instigated_ this, full well knowing what kind of person I am?  What I did?"  He paused again, before letting out a hollow sounding laugh.  "Wow… I completely  underestimated you, kid."

"It's okay," Yu replied.  "I didn't think I'd be able to go along with it."

Adachi let out a snort, and it was clear he had not really processed what had just been going on for the past three and a half months.  He was not even sure what to do with himself, and settled for grabbing Yu by his arms, pushing him up against the door.  The look on his face was dark, like he was going to reach up and strangle the life out of him, but Yu's face remained impassive.

"Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to kill you?" he hissed.  "How many times I had my gun against you while you were sleeping?  You left me so many opportunities to do it too.  If I didn't think you were actually covering my tracks, I might have."

Yu had a feeling that was going on; he had been questioning for awhile how close he was to death supporting Adachi.  There had been a point where he had stopped wondering when death would come for him; he suspected it was back in January, when he burned the evidence that Adachi had obviously left in that folder on purpose.  Even with how dangerous their sexual activities had become, he had not been so afraid anymore.  Still, even with that, there was one other thing…

"What made you start in the first place?" he asked.  "You're the one that kissed me first."  Adachi let out an awkward noise, backing off a little, and Yu pressed his advantage, "Were you trying to make me feel safe?  So I wouldn't suspect you?"

Adachi looked like he was not sure how to answer, and he finally let out a tired sigh.  "Does it matter at this point?" he asked, relaxing his hold on him.

"Not really.  I'm on your side; that's all that matters right now," Yu murmured, reaching up to drape his arms over his shoulders again.  A bit of a smirk came to the detective's face, and he let out a put upon sigh as he slipped his arms around his waist.

"Man, dragging me into this 'relationship'," he whined.  "I don't even go for guys."

Yu raised an eyebrow at that.  "You should have said something.  I would have crossdressed for you; I still have my school girl uniform."

Adachi paused at that, a look of confusion mixed with a bit of interest dawning on his face.  Yu smirked at that, pulling him in for another kiss and drawing a sigh out of the detective.  Pulling away, Adachi frowned at him, like there was one last thing he was trying to piece together.

"…what made you do it?" he asked.  "After everything you guys did to stop people from getting killed, why go through all this to protect me?"

Yu hesitated a moment, mouth moving to answer, but afraid to.  Adachi did not give him a chance, and as he glanced up to him he could see his expression turn into one of genuine sympathy.

"Were you that afraid of being alone?" he asked softly.

Yu felt his chest tighten, and he looked away again.  "…I still am."

Adachi let out a faint snort, and he reached up, grasping him by the chin and pulling his face over to kiss him again.  Yu did not want him to let go, and he held him tight against him, shuddering in his grasp.  It was a long moment before he pulled away, and even then he followed after him, little kisses shared between them before Adachi finally pulled too far away for him to reach.

"Well, I guess you don't have to worry about that now, hunh, partner?"

Yu felt like his breath left him at that, and his grip on the detective tightened, fingers digging into Adachi's back.  Yes, yes; that was what he had been wanting to hear since December, the assurance that he would never be alone again.  He wanted to cry he was so relieved, and he buried his face against Adachi's shoulder.

"…I guess not."

Adachi smirked against the side of his head, letting him stay like that for a moment, before nudging him to stand up right again.  Yu let out a breath, rubbing his hands over his face in an effort to pull himself together.

"I had my career choice meeting with the councilor the other day," he began.

Adachi gave him a curious look, wondering about the change of topic.  "What'd you say?"

"That I wanted to be a detective," Yu replied, before a small smile worked its way onto his face.  "…like you."

The detective let out a laugh at that, reaching up to muss his hair.  "Now why the hell would you do a dumbass thing like that?" he asked.

A bit of a mischievous smile came to Yu's face.  "I dunno… I thought you'd like someone around to call you 'senpai'."

He nailed that one on the head; Adachi let out an awkward noise, and there was a brief moment where he mulled that thought over in his head, before the back of Yu's head was thumping against the door.  The detective devoured his mouth hungrily, a leg coming up between his legs and rubbing against him insistently.  Yu whimpered into the kiss, nudging back down against his leg, more than willing to have Adachi take him right there; there was a bed in the room, it would not be too difficult.  Still, they had nothing else with them, and it was obvious that Adachi was not willing to take the risk, not with how Yu could scream when they got out of control.  He pulled away, albeit reluctantly, a casual smirk on his face.

"I'll try to get off of work early," Adachi murmured.  "My apartment tonight…"  He paused.  "And bring that girl's uniform."

~.oOOo.~

Yu was honestly surprised that the others had shown up to see him off.  Listening through their goodbyes and well wishes had been difficult, and when Yosuke said that he wished they had been able to solve the murder, it took him everything to keep his mouth shut.  He merely nodded, withstanding the stab of guilt to his heart, along with Dojima telling him he wished Nanako had been there to see him off.  Soon, the train pulled up, and everyone said the last of their goodbyes, before he was finally able to board and flee from his guilt.

He let out a breath as he leaned against the wall, not even flinching as the train lurched, pulling away slowly.  The train was finally getting up to speed when Yu thought to check his phone, wanting to hear Adachi's voice again after all of that, just to cement the fact that yes, he was never going to be alone again.  He was well into his contact list when he realized he had never gotten the detective's phone number.  Once again, the thought of asking for it had completely left his mind, and the night before they were too busy doing… _other_ things.

Yu groaned, letting his head thump hard against the wall; all that effort, and he forgot to get his damn number… he had to be some kind of idiot.

He could feel the train slowing for a crossing, and he glanced out to the dirt street they were slowly passing, peering out through the fog, and…  Yu stood up straight, staring out of the window; along the path, through the fog, he could just spot a figure in the distance.  The person's posture was slouched, head of sloppy hair and equally sloppy clothes…  He felt his heart leap up in his chest, pressing a hand against the window as if that would let him leap out of the train and go after what he wanted.

Just then, his phone went off, and he absently answered it, not wanting to take his eyes off of the figure even as the train began picking up speed again.

"Hello?"

There was silence… and then Yu heard the words he had been anxious to hear.

_"I'll keep in touch…_ partner."


	5. Epilogue: Ten Years Later

The fog had entirely swallowed Inaba some years ago, and had slowly worked its way through Japan, taking over the larger cities first, especially Tokyo and Sumaru City.  There had been some hold out at Tatsumi Port Island for some time, partially due to some group that called themselves the Shadow Ops, but even they had not lasted long once the fog began to seep into the city.  It was not just in Japan either; the fog had started up all over the world, beginning in major cities, in places where lies and deceit were at their strongest, and spreading out from there.

Ten years after it all began in Inaba, nearly eighty percent of the world had been swallowed by the fog and lost to the Shadows.  What humans managed to survive gathered together, fighting to find ways to keep the Shadows and the fog out.  But no matter how secure the domes they built were, no matter how much they tried to stay safe, to keep humanity thriving; the fog always found a way in, the murders would always begin, and soon after everything would fall apart.

Of course, that was partially because _they_ were always there to _help._

He had lost track of how many times he had seen it since that first time; holding someone who had crossed them by the throat, watching them struggle and scream as he dipped their head toward the television, watching the pools of light circle around them as the TV opened up to invite them.  Some would beg for their lives, others would be so confused about what was happening that they could not do much more other than scream.  Still others would point at him, accusing him of being the one to spread the fog.

They never lasted very long once those accusations started.

The woman was screaming, scared and wide eyed and looking so much like his first victim all those years ago.

"Y-you…!" she exclaimed.  "You're the one doing this?!  You're the one responsible?!  Why?  Why would you do this to other humans?!"

He paused at that, letting her think that her questions had moved him; he pulled her away slightly, and she stopped her screams, daring to hope that he would let her go…

…and that was when the smirk spread across his face.

"Because, there's no hope for _normal_ humans."

With a sharp shove, he forced her into the TV, and her screams echoed out of the screen as her legs disappeared through the television.  He paused, breathing heavily, high off of yet another murder he had committed, looking around the small apartment.  It had gotten a bit mussed up from their struggle; nothing he could not handle on his own.

His detective's badge had fallen out of his pocket in the struggle, and he dipped down to pick it up as his cell phone went off in his pocket.  A smirk spread across his face, and he snapped it open, already knowing who would call him at this time of night.

"Hello, partner," he purred into the phone.

The person on the other end paused, before a faint sigh came over the line.  _”Again?"_ the caller asked, drawing a dark little chuckle out of him.  _"Do you need my help?"_

"Not really, I can handle it," he replied, before he paused, a bit of a smirk coming to his face as he glanced to the side, taking a note of the opulent looking king sized bed just barely seen through the bedroom door.  "Although, there may be a _reward_ in it for you if you come."

The caller let out an awkward noise, sounding more than a little anxious as he replied, _"I'll be there in a bit."_

He chuckled faintly, his thumb absently rubbing at the detective's badge in his hand.

"Don't leave me waiting too long, Adachi-senpai."


End file.
